BabyCenter Community Help How-to's

Profile

How do I make my profile private?

First, select your avatar in the top right corner. From the drop down menu, select "view profile," and then "edit account details." Select the box next to "mark my profile private". If you mark your profile as private, only members you add as friends will be able to see your full profile. Remember, your profile photo is always public.

How do I set a profile photo?

First select your avatar in the top right corner. From the drop down menu, select “view profile,” and then "view my profile." On a desktop, select the "Change Photo" link underneath your avatar. On mobile, select the "edit profile photo" link. From there you can choose or upload a photo to set as your Profile Photo.

How do I add my signature?

At this time, our mobile platform does not allow for members to add an automatic signature - it must be done on a desktop computer.

To add a signature on a desktop, please follow these steps:

Select your avatar in the top right corner

Select "View Profile"

Select "edit account details"

Scroll down to the signature box

Add your signature or make any changes necessary, making sure you stay within the 3 line and 150 characters limit

Select “Save preferences.”

Once you save your preferences, the signature will appear immediately if it has worked - the time span of 3 days only applies to email settings

You can choose to hide other members' signatures by unchecking the box that says "show other members' signatures." Please note that while you can advertise your home business in your signature you cannot recruit for direct-sales, post surveys or link to special codes.

How do I Pass a Note?

There are several ways to pass notes. You may go to a member's public profile and underneath their name you will see "Pass a Note". Click there and you'll see a pop up where you can choose the message you’d like to send, or enter your own. You may also Pass a Note to a member by clicking the PAN icon (envelope) at the bottom of that member's post or comment.

What is my Status?

Status is a fun way to let people know what you're up to (if you want to). It can say "I'm at the beach with the kids", "It's raining hard today", or nothing at all.

I would like to change the font size – how can I do that?

The default font size on the site is 12 points. Some people find it too small, some too large. The best way to make the site comfortable for your individual browsing is to set your font using your browser settings.

What does "views" mean?

Views are the number of times other members have visited your profile page. The number can be found right under your location on your profile page.

Groups

How do I find a group?

You can find a group a number of different ways. You can use the community search or the group-specific search.

How do I join a group?

To join a public group simply navigate to the group’s page and click on the green "join group" button below the group description. To join a private group, enter a brief message to the group owners explaining why you’d like to join the group, and select the green “join group” button. The Group Owners will review your request and either approve or dismiss your request.

How do I start my own group?

To start your own group visit the full groups list and select the “create your own group” link on the right side of the page, near the middle. From there you can choose your group’s name, add a description, choose a topic and decide if you want your group to be public or private. Please note: once you choose a privacy setting it cannot be changed.

How do I add an owner to a group?

Any owner can add another owner to a group by clicking into the Edit Group Info area located under Admin Settings, on the left side of your group's home page. Add the new owner’s screen name into the Add Admin field. Be sure to remove any spaces or symbols from the member’s name.

How do I delete a group?

If you own a group that needs to be closed or deleted, click the Edit Group Info link and use Report This Group to let us know you’d like the group closed. Or, you can contact us and we can close the group for you.

How do I leave a group?

To leave a Group that you are a member of but do not own, select the grey “info” link under the group name. Scroll to the bottom, under the list of Group Owner names, and select “Leave this group.”

How do I find a list of all my groups?

First select your avatar in the top right corner. From the drop down menu, select “my groups” and then “view all my groups”

How do I differentiate "official" vs. spin-off birth clubs?

Official Birth Clubs all have the BabyCenter Team as an owner. These groups will never be private, and all members are welcomed and encouraged to jump in and join the fun! Many birth clubs also have either public or private spin-offs, which we call Birth Club Buddies for smaller groups such as moms from a particular location, or who are all breastfeeding.

How do I contact a Group Owner?

If you see a problem on a particular post on your group, clink the "Report this" link on the post. Then choose Group Owner in the list of who to send the report to. Fill in the form, and click submit and all of the Group Owners for the group will get a notification. If you just want to send a note, select the “about this group” link. You will see a list of the Group Owners of the group. You can click on these member’s profiles and send them a note with questions, concerns, or comments about the group.

Posting

How do I post a new discussion in a group?

To post a new discussion first browse the list of all our groups here. When you have found a group that best fits your topic click into the group to see the list of discussions for that group. To start your own discussion simply click on the “post” button at the top of the post list. Write your message, choose a title and click create post. Write your message, choose a title and click create post. To see a list of posts you've created, simply select your avatar in the top right corner and click on My Posts.

How do I post a picture in a discussion?

When you create a post, or comment on an existing post, click on the "Add a photo" next to the blue photo icon to select a photo on your phone or computer, or take a new one. (Photos must be smaller than 8mb in size.) You can also add an image or an animated GIF from another site by copying and pasting the image’s HTML link into your comment or post.

How do I post a link (web site address) in a message?

If you would like to link a word in a post, you can type the word to be linked, then highlight the word by clicking and dragging your cursor over it. Next, click the "insert/edit link" button in the formatting options at the top of the editing page (the one that looks like a chain link), and paste your url (the address you want to link to) into the "link url" area. Click "insert."

How do I bookmark a discussion?

Any discussion you start is automatically set as a bookmark, unless you uncheck the box when creating the post. To make any other discussion a bookmark - whether you add a post or not - simply click on "Bookmark this!" above the first post in the discussion. You can have up to 200 bookmarks.

How do I manage my bookmarks?

To manage your bookmarks go to your bookmarks page. You can find a link on your My Stuff page. Click on "Manage bookmarks". You also can view and manage your bookmarks by clicking on the main Groups tab, and then clicking "My bookmarks" at the top of the list of recent posts in your groups.

How do I see my bookmarked posts in a group?

When you are in a group you can choose to view only those discussions you have bookmarked by using the pull-down menu at the top. Choose Filter by: Bookmarks. To switch back, choose Filter By: All. This menu will only display if you have bookmarks set within that group.

Photos

How do I add a photo?

When you create a post, or comment on an existing post, click on the “Choose file” next to the blue photo icon to select a photo on your phone or computer, or take a new one. (Photos must be smaller than 8mb in size.) You can also add an image or an animated GIF from another site by copying and pasting the image’s HTML link into your comment or post.

How do I create an Album?

If you’d like to create a photo album, go to your “My Stuff” page and click on “My Photos.” Click on the Add Photos link. You can choose to upload up to 10 photos at a time from your computer by selecting that button and then clicking browse. You can add a caption and tags to your photos.

How do I edit an Album?

From your my Stuff page, click on My Photos. Click on the name of the album, from underneath a thumbnail image. Once you are viewing the Album click on the blue Edit Album link, from there you can rename your album, change the privacy settings, or add or remove photos or delete the Album. Once deleted an Album cannot be restored.

How do I move a photo from one Album to another?

First find the photos you want to move. Then click on the Edit Photo link at the bottom of the photo. The photo edit page will include a pull-down menu with a list of all your albums, choose the album you want a photo to live in. Photos can only belong to one album at a time.

How do I find a photo club?

You can find a group a number of different ways. You can use the community search or the photo club search. You also can browse through the page of all photo clubs, or look through the topic areas.

How do I join a photo club?

To join a public Photo Club, simply navigate to the photo club’s page and click on "join photo club" at the top or below the group description. To join a private Photo Club simply click on Request Invite, and a message with your screen name will be sent to the Owners.

How do I start my own photo club?

To start your own photo club visit the photo clubs tab and click on the blue "create a photo club" link above the blue bar at the top. From there you can choose your Photo Club’s name, add a description and an Owner Welcome Message, choose a topic and decide if you want your Photo Club to be public or private. Once you choose a privacy setting it cannot be changed.

How do I add photos to a photo club?

Once you have joined a photo club, you can add photos by clicking on the "add photos" link there. You’ll be offered the choice to add from your BabyCenter photos or from your computer. When you are uploading a photo from your computer you’ll be offered the chance to add the photo to a private photo album, visible only by you. This allows you to add a photo to a private photo club without displaying it to people viewing your profile.

Invites & Friends

How do I find and invite friends?

To invite friends, go to their profile page, and click "Add as friend" under their user photo. You can send the member a note with your friend invite, introducing yourself.

How do I invite friends with private profiles when I don't have their email addys?

If you find a public message or photo posted by that person, you can send a note to the person with a private profile, and ask if they are open to becoming friends. If they are, they can send you a friend invite.

How do I Block or Ignore members?

Blocking a member prevents the member from passing a note to you from your profile or commenting on your photos in your profile (the blocked member can still view your public profile and public photos, and can still pass you a note from your comments). Blocking also prevents you from viewing the blocked member’s comments.

To Block another member:

Tap or click your profile picture at the top right of your screen

Select My Profile from the drop down menu

Select the Friends tab

Select Block

Enter the name of the member you wish to block

Tap or click the Block button

To Unblock:

Tap or click your profile picture at the top right of your screen

Select My Profile from the drop down menu

Select the Friends tab

Select Block

Scroll down to your list of blocked members and find the member you’d like to unblock

Tap or click Unblock

Ignoring a member hides that member’s comments on posts from your view. You can still see their posts, and it doesn’t prevent them from seeing your content or messaging you.

To Ignore a member:

Find a comment the member has made

Tap or click the 3 dots on the lower right of their comment

Select Ignore

If the member comments on a post you’re reading, you can either opt to see their comment or stop ignoring them from links within the post.

Account & Settings

How do I change my password?

Go to your profile page, and click on "Edit account settings", then go to "Account info.", you will see the link to your BabyCenter account page where you can change your password (as well as your email address, zip code and kids' birthdays.)

How do I change my location?

Click the My Stuff tab to come to your Profile. Below your user photo and status line is a link that says "Edit account settings." Click that link, and then choose "Personal info" at the top of the page. "Location" is the first field to fill out.

How do I customize my privacy options?

Click the My Stuff tab to come to your Profile. Below your user photo and status line is a link that says "Edit account settings." Click that link, and then choose "Preferences" at the top of the page. Make your choices there.

How do I customize my notifications?

Click the My Stuff tab to come to your Profile. Below your user photo and status line is a link that says "Edit account settings." Click that link, and then choose "Preferences" at the top of the page. Scroll down until you see the "Email and Messaging" section and make your choices there.

All site notifications that you opt to receive in your BabyCenter community inbox will be kept as long as you are active on the site. If you have not logged into the site for 6 months we will suspend sending your inbox notifications until you log in again. If you plan on being away from BabyCenter for 6 months please switch your messages to your email.

How do I change my screen name?

Once you've chosen a screen name, you're stuck with it, so choose well! If you want a different screen name, you will need to create a new account.

How do I close my community account?

At the bottom of every page is a link to Contact Us. One of the choices in the menu includes "close my account". Submit your request there and your account will be closed within three business days. Please note that closing your community account does not remove your content. You may remove your own content before requesting your account to be closed. For any content you are unable to remove, please follow the instructions here. We will evaluate your request and notify you if we remove your content. Please note: if you place content on our site, public or private, we are not obligated to remove it.

General

Every item on the site - including notes, groups, photos, profiles - has a "Report this" link. In groups and photo clubs you can choose to send a report to Staff, to the Group Owners or to both. On all other items your report will go right to staff. Once you have sent a Report, the right people will investigate and take any steps necessary to resolve the situation. Should you find a violation and no "Report this" link is available, email the URL and text of the item to community@babycenter.com.

Who is the BabyCenter Staff?

BabyCenter Staff shows a badge on our profile picture everywhere we post. You'll see us around! Send us a Friend invite - we love new friends! To learn more about the team, click here.

How do I contact the BabyCenter Staff?

From bugs to bad behavior, we are only a click away. You can ask questions about using the community at the Friends of BabyCenter Group. Or if you prefer you can email us directly at community@babycenter.com.

Is the Community moderated?

The BabyCenter Community is moderated regularly by BabyCenter staff members. BabyCenter staff work to make sure BabyCenter is a friendly and supportive place for you to share experiences and ideas. They have the ability to remove or modify comments and posts that violate our guidelines. The site is also moderated by the many users called "Group Owners" who set up and volunteer to administer groups. They're not employed by BabyCenter and they moderate on a purely voluntary basis. Group Owners have the ability to remove posts and comments in their own groups, but they can't modify or edit posts in other groups.

Community Guidelines

Want to get started? Get the scoop on using the site, click the links below: